What is Six Sigma | Why Six Sigma

Image of Six Sigma Session by Six Sigma Concept

What is Six Sigma?

Six Sigma is a fact-based data driven disciplined methodology that is used to create breakthrough improvements in any business processes with a strong focus on customer needs. It is used to solve tough business problems when the root cause of the problem or the solution is not known. Six Sigma can be applied to any type of business be it manufacturing, service or transactional.

Six Sigma is a letter in the Greek alphabet used to denote the standard deviation of a process (standard deviation measures the variation or amount of spread about the process mean).

A process with "Six Sigma" capability means having 12 standard deviations of process output between the upper & lower specification limits. Essentially, process variation is reduced so that no more than 3.4 parts per million fall outside of the specifications limits. The higher the sigma number, the better.

The "Six Sigma" term also refers to a philosophy, goal and/or methodology utilized to drive out waste and improve the quality, cost and time performance of any business. Six Sigma implementation is achieved through a series of successful projects. Process improvements and variation reduction are achieved through application of Six Sigma improvement projects, which in turn, are executed following either the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) or DMADV (Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, Verify) methodologies. Black Belts & Green Belts are the key players in execution of Six Sigma improvement projects.

Why Six Sigma?

Most of Fortune 100 companies have implemented Six Sigma already

In the early days, benefits of Six Sigma were operational, and the focus was on defect reduction and cycle time improvement.

Today, companies use Six Sigma to grow market share, improve customer retention, develop new products and services, accelerate innovation, and manage changing customer requirements while keeping the cost of doing business at its minimum. While the old Six Sigma was just a metric, the new Six Sigma is a management system for running the business on a day-to-day basis.

Six Sigma reaches well into every industry, from Financial Services to Health Care to Hospitality.

Six Sigma is implemented at every level, from VPs to quality managers to software engineers, and in every process, from Customer Service to Human Resources to Accounting.

Six Sigma has spread to many countries around the world, from India to Ireland to Spain.

As per Motorola, the company who invented Six Sigma concept, there are Six Resons why Leaders love Six Sigma

»	Six Sigma impacts BOTTOM LINE (Profits) :
	Six Sigma has generated bottom-line results for all types of organizations in hundreds of cases!

»	Six Sigma drives STRATEGY execution:
	Are you confident that the activities in your organization are properly prioritized and powerfully aligned with strategy? In today's demanding business environment, organizations need reliable management systems capable of aligning strategy and delivering breakthrough results.

»	Six Sigma generates robust, FLEXIBLE business process:
	Can you see how much opportunity for success is latent in every process in your business? Everyone knows that building competitive advantage requires consistently meeting and exceeding customer requirements for products, services, and prices.

»	Six Sigma Improves HUMAN PERFORMANCE across entire organization:
	Do you know how to get every individual in your organization focused on a common goal? Now that's a challenge in an organization of any size! Six Sigma provides companies with a common vehicle and language to frame business goals, focus organizational energy, and drive results. Its implementation involves building human capability with common approaches and tools to address business process issues.

»	Six Sigma is highly SCALABLE:
	Wondering how many Black Belts and Green Belts you need to be a "Six Sigma company?" Better to focus on the business improvements you need most, and determine how many projects you can manage effectively. A focused set of projects is the key to achieving improved business results!

»	Six Sigma is a low risk INVESTMENT:
	Think Six Sigma is too expensive or risky for your organization? Not when the training provided for building organizational capability is directly linked to real-time improvement projects!